


Get a Grip

by JuxtaposeFantasy



Category: Chinese Actor RPF, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) RPF
Genre: Jackson Yibo dance battle, M/M, matchmaker Lay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22314481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuxtaposeFantasy/pseuds/JuxtaposeFantasy
Summary: Yixing doesn't understand what's happening at the Weibo Awards between his friends Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan, but with his friend Jackson Wang's help, he's going to find out.
Relationships: Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan
Comments: 35
Kudos: 397





	Get a Grip

**Author's Note:**

> Just a fun quickie for variety. Still slightly hung up on that weird Weibo Awards night. For creative purposes, none of these guys have anywhere to be after the show. How convenient.

Zhang Yixing supposes he might be playing with fire, but he’s been through a lot and he’s still here, going strong. Besides, it’s not as if he has malicious intentions. He’s merely…curious.

He’s known Wang Yibo for several years, both through the idol circuit and from working together on _Unexpected Love._ While he’s not best friends with the younger man, he feels confident he knows Yibo better than many. Therefore he has a lot of questions about what exactly is going on between Yibo and China’s hottest male star, Xiao Zhan.

It’s pure impulse for Yixing, while he’s on stage with his colleagues at the Weibo Awards, to coax Yibo to speak with Jackson Wang. The two Wangs of course are very familiar with each other’s works, but they’ve never socialized together. Yixing thinks tonight might be a perfect opportunity for that to change, and for him to get some answers in the process.

“I’m having a get together in my hotel room,” Yixing tells the two men while actresses perform a runway skit a few yards beside them. ‘I want you both there after the show.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jackson says immediately. He’s always down for a party, Yixing knows, though he’s just as interesting in quieter settings, too.

Yixing and Jackson look to Yibo, who smiles a little uncertainly beneath their dual regard. Yixing still finds it funny how different his young friend is in person versus how he’s presented in the media. It’s night and day with him, and Yixing can tell Jackson is slightly confused by it.

“I guess I can go,” Yibo says as he fiddles with the strap of the plastic bag on his shoulder. He should look ridiculous, but he’s a model and makes it work. Yixing wonders how he’d fare with the rubber chicken. Probably the results wouldn’t be much different. Yibo can sell you anything.

“Great.” Yixing gives them his room number. “It’s a private party, so just you guys, okay? Don’t bring anyone.”

Both men nod, and the presentation continues, drawing them back into participating.

The awards go on and Yixing’s bemusement grows as he watches Yibo and Xiao Zhan interacting. Or make that, not interacting. The two of them sit on their bench seat acting as though they’re strangers and hadn’t spent nearly six months together, filming and promoting. Their behavior is borderline bazaar. 

By the time it’s all over and Yixing is back in his room, he’s very much looking forward to seeing how the rest of the night unfolds. He keeps his outfit on since he likes it, and is wearing the red coat when Jackson arrives first.

“So what’s the real reason for this ‘private party’?” Jackson asks while making air quotes with his fingers.

“Am I that obvious?”

Jackson smirks. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re trying to set me up with that Yibo kid.”

“’Yibo kid’,” Yixing repeats with a snort. “You’d be smart to take him seriously.”

“I’m only kidding.” Jackson wanders over to the mini-bar and pours himself a drink. “He and Xiao Zhan are a force to be reckoned with lately. The media can’t get enough of them.”

“Sure seems so,” Yixing says guilelessly.

Another knock on the door reveals Yibo, who doesn’t look any less nervous as he enters the room and bows to Jackson.

“No, don’t do that,” Jackson says, waving him off. “If Lay has his way, we’ll all be stupid drunk soon. I won’t deserve your respect, then.”

Yibo smiles and accepts the drink Yixing hands him. Yixing is amused that Yibo is unable to stop himself from giving a half-bow of thanks.

“To new friends and old,” Yixing toasts. “May they never stray far.”

Jackson snorts before taking a drink. “You definitely have an agenda.”

“No, I want us to all get to know each other.” Yixing turns to Yibo. “Surely you’re aware of how badly your fans want a collaboration between you and Jackson?”

“Yes. I would be open to it. I enjoy your songs a great deal,” Yibo says to the singer, a bit bashfully.

Yibo’s earnestness makes Jackson glance at Yixing, who’s holding back a smile.

“I like your new single,” Jackson says slowly, as though he’s measuring his words. He’s cautious, but Yixing thinks he’s intrigued by Yibo. “We should rap together one of these days.”

Yibo’s eyes light up. “That would be great.”

“The only problem is getting together,” Yixing says casually as he leans a hip against the sole table in the room. “You both have such busy schedules, and Yibo—you probably save all your private time for, well, your close friends.”

Their eyes meet, though Yibo’s poker face reveals nothing. “I have time,” he says, and Yixing thinks, _Interesting. Did they break up?_

Or were they never truly a thing?

But Yixing jettisons the doubt. He’s interacted with both Yibo and Xiao Zhan since The Untamed aired. He knows what he’s seen and heard.

Maybe it’s time to pull out the heavy artillery. 

“If you have time, then Jackson should, too,” Yixing says with a grin as he straightens up and joins the singer. He slings an arm around Jackson’s shoulders and plants a kiss on his cheek. “He’s not attached and seeing anyone, last time I checked.”

Jackson tenses, his gaze shooting to Yibo. “Lay, what the hell…”

“It’s okay,” Yixing assures him. “Yibo may be young, but he’s an old-timer.” Yixing pauses for effect. “Not to mention he has his own secrets to keep.”

The silence that falls is heavy with implication.

“So it’s true,” Jackson says into the quiet tension that stretches among the three of them.

Yibo stares back stonily. He looks like he does on his photoshoots, as cold and impenetrable as an iceberg. Yixing still can’t get over how quickly he can make the flip. 

“Depends on what you define as ‘true’,” Yibo says.

“The rumors about you and Xiao Zhan.” Jackson takes a sip from his glass, but his eyes over the rim are intent. “That you fell in love on the set.”

Yibo looks away. A muscle ripples along his sharp jawline.

“That you’re a couple now,” Jackson presses.

“Not true,” Yibo says quietly, after a long moment. “Not anymore.”

Yixing nods and drops his arm from Jackson’s shoulder. “That explains tonight.”

“There’s nothing wrong between us. It’s just—” Yibo swallows. When he looks back at them his eyes hold bleakness. “He thinks it’ll ruin our careers. He thinks it’ll ruin mine. He doesn’t want to take the chance.”

“He’s not wrong,” Jackson says with a heavy sigh. “We work in an unforgiving industry.”

“I don’t care,” Yibo says with sudden vehemence. “I’ve been doing this since I was thirteen. I know how it works. I can make _us_ work. But he won’t even try.” He laughs harshly. “And the thing is, it’s so obvious. Everyone can tell. We can’t go from—the way we were—to how we were tonight. It’s just going to make people talk even more.”

“That’s true,” Yixing says. “A lot of people were paying more attention to you two tonight than they would have if you’d acted normally.”

“Try telling him that,” Yibo scoffs bitterly. “He thinks he can control this. He can’t control anything. Except maybe me,” he adds softly, miserably.

Jackson lifts his eyebrows at Yixing, but Yixing didn’t bring Yibo here for a pity party. He pats Jackson on the arm. “You know who knows all about broken hearts, Yibo? Our handsome gentleman here, Mr. Jackson Wang. Jackson, what’s the secret to recovering from such an injury?”

Jackson seems flummoxed, but then enlightenment hits. He grins. “Sing your heart out and dance your ass off.”

It’s the perfect thing to say, for Yibo’s face brightens immediately.

The alcohol flows freely and Yixing brings out his sound bar and sets it atop the mini-bar. It’s not long before Jackson and Yibo have pushed the hotel furniture out of the way to clear out a makeshift dance floor. Yixing reclines in a chair and urges them into a dance battle.

It’s a sight to behold. The two of them are fantastic dancers with their own styles. Yixing knows their fan bases would implode if they caught sight of Jackson, shirtless, taunting Yibo with hip gyrations and curling fingers. Yibo, flushed and looking as young as his years, hoots cockily and steps up to him. Yibo pulls the hem of his shirt up and bites it, revealing his abs as he undulates his body in his old UNIQ move.

That’s when a knock sounds on the door.

Jackson and Yibo, locked into battle, don’t notice, but Yixing has been listening for it. He gets up and opens the door. He offers a welcoming smile to Xiao Zhan, who’s still wearing his suit. He’s been at another party until now.

“You kept your word,” Yixing says.

Xiao Zhan smiles. “How could you doubt me?” He hears the music and tries to peer over Yixing’s shoulder. “Sounds like it’s already in full swing.”

“Oh, it is. But it’s about to get better.”

Grinning mischievously, Yixing grabs his friend’s wrist and drags him inside.

He stands at the door, blocking it, and watches Xiao Zhan react to the sight before him. There’s shock, of course, then a flash of a grin as though he’s about to laugh incredulously. And then, on the ‘dance floor’, Yibo pumps his hips against the floor and Jackson dances forward so that when Yibo looks up, his face is right in Jackson’s crotch.

Yixing has to bite his tongue to hold back his laugher at the look on Xiao Zhan’s face.

“So what’s your poison?” Yixing says cheerfully once he composes himself. He claps a hand on Xiao Zhan, startling him, and pushes him to the mini-bar.

“I-I’m not sure I can stay long,” Xiao Zhan stutters. He turns his back on the middle of the room where the two men are dancing and clutches the bar top with whitened fingers. “I have a flight in the morning.”

“Still hours away,” Yixing says dismissively. He pushes a full drink into his hand. “Relax and have fun with us.”

Xiao Zhan turns large, beseeching eyes on him. “Lay. I can’t.”

Yixing holds steady. “Sure you can. You need to pull that stick out of your ass. Now’s the perfect time to do it.”

Xiao Zhan looks shocked, then his mouth flattens out and the same aloof expression he wore during the awards settles over his face. “I don’t want to be here, Lay.”

“Liar.” Yixing turns and smiles at Yibo and Jackson, who are in the middle of a popping contest. “You just don’t want to enjoy being here. There’s a difference.”

Xiao Zhan doesn’t refute the words. He stares at the wall, his profile hard and cool.

“You’re crazy if you think ignoring him is less noticeable than giving him attention,” Yixing says conversationally. He sees Xiao Zhan tense up beside him. “Every time he looks at you, his heart is in his eyes.”

“That’s the problem,” Xiao Zhan says tightly.

“How long has that been going on, though? Nearly a year now, right? Ever since filming ended? And yet, unbelievably, the sky hasn't fallen.”

“It’s just a matter of time.” Xiao Zhan’s voice is flat, as though he’s reciting a familiar script to himself.

“Maybe,” Yixing agrees, “or maybe you’re condemning your relationship before anyone else has gotten a chance to. The world didn’t need to break you two up. You did it to yourselves. That, my friend, sounds pretty damn terrible to me.”

A minute passes. Xiao Zhan takes a drink from his glass, then another. When he finally turns to face the room, his spine is stiff and his face expressionless. But his dark eyes zero in on Yibo and it’s like electricity connects them. Yibo, still dancing, suddenly looks up and their gazes lock. Yixing enjoys the little shiver that travels up his own spine. He entertains a brief image of what his two friends might look like together.

Jackson, with his back to Xiao Zhan, hasn’t noticed his arrival or that Yibo has become focused on him. The singer dances up into Yibo’s space and slaps his hands on Yibo’s hips, trying to cajole him into an exaggerated hip swing.

“If it’s not you,” Yixing says lightly, “it’ll be someone else. He won’t remain alone for long.”

Privately, Yixing highly doubts it. Yibo doesn’t sleep around. He doesn’t even date. He commits to a person and he keeps that commitment. Xiao Zhan will test how long that commitment lasts if he doesn’t pull his head out of his ass.

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” Xiao Zhan admits, his voice barely audible above the music. “Lay, he’s only twenty-two.”

“In terms of this business, he’s older than you, Xiao Zhan. Give him some credit. He knows what he’s doing and what he wants. More importantly, he knows what he’s risking. Look at him. He knows exactly what’s at stake and he doesn’t give a shit.”

Xiao Zhan stands frozen, unable to break the eyelock with Yibo. “I’d never forgive myself if I ruined his career.”

“Would it be better if you ruined his life?”

Yibo has begun dancing again, distractedly though, at maybe thirty or forty percent of what he’s capable of. Jackson, still drunk and oblivious and maybe still in the playful mood he was on the red carpet earlier, slings his arms around Yibo’s waist and playfully slaps his ass.

Xiao Zhan drops his drink.

Yixing straightens up, alarmed, but Xiao Zhan ignores him and strides forward. He doesn’t have to yank Jackson away because Yibo carefully pushes the other man away before he can. As Jackson stumbles to the aside, confused, Xiao Zhan grabs Yibo by the bicep.

“We need to talk.”

“The bathroom is very large,” Yixing suggests helpfully.

Xiao Zhan sends him a dark look as he drags Yibo past him and into the bathroom. The door slams shut behind them.

“What the hell?” Jackson complains. “We were dancing.”

“That was Xiao Zhan.” Yixing grabs a bottle of water from the mini-fridge and tosses it to his friend. Despite his state of inebriation, Jackson’s superior hand-eye coordination allows him to catch the bottle with ease. “Thanks for helping out,” Yixing tells him.

Jackson shakes his head. He opens the bottle and gulps down half of it. The rest he pours over his head.

Yixing laughs and Jackson winks at him. He drops back into the room’s loveseat and pats the cushion beside him. “Join me, Lay. I’ve been used and ditched by my dance partner.”

They both turn their heads as something heavy-sounding hits the wall of the bathroom. Yixing takes a step forward, concerned, until he hears the very clear sound of Yibo moaning, _“Zhan-ge…”_ The bathroom amplifies sound better than an amphitheater.

_That's one question answered._

“Would it be perverted of us?” Yixing wonders aloud as he settles onto the sofa beside Jackson.

Jackson snorts and begins unbuttoning his pants. “We’ve earned it, Lay. And they owe us.”

They learn a lot about Xiao Zhan and Yibo’s sex life over the next hour. Jackson and Yixing can confirm that the two men should _definitely_ stay together.

 _And maybe come visit once in a while,_ Yixing thinks in the afterglow. He nudges a drowsy Jackson when the tell-tale sounds in the bathroom start up again.

“They’re starting round two,” Yixing tells him. He shivers when he hears Xiao Zhan say, _“Open your mouth.”_

Jackson shoves his hand back into his pants. “Bring it on. I didn’t get to win the dance battle, but I’ll win this.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote follow-up fics for Yixing and Jackson in my collection, [The Gege Collector](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23798356).


End file.
